


Friendship Goals

by Jamaican Princess (Rocquellan)



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: AU post 3x15, Biting Ducks, M/M, Mild Angst, Parabatai Bond, Parabatai Feels, Underhill POV, Underhill&Alec Lightwood, friendship fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 04:09:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18307904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rocquellan/pseuds/Jamaican%20Princess
Summary: Underhill happens upon Alec on his night out and they bond in a way he never expected from the Head of the Institute.





	Friendship Goals

**Author's Note:**

> I like Underhill a lot. I think he would be a great friend to Alec AND Magnus.

Underhill likes his nights off. As head of security he has to have his down time. It’s something important to keep his head above water in the neverending madness of being a ranking shadowhunter. Tonight, after the success of a particularly hard mission he’s decided to visit one of his favorite bars, a little hideaway called The Silver Maroon. Normally, he’s with company but tonight he just felt the need to be by himself, savoring their victory on his own. He loves his team but they can afford to do without him once or twice.

The streets are cold and Underhill wrapped his coat around him as he strolled along the street, counting the minutes before he reached his destination. He thinks about the mission report he should have completed after the mission to give to Mr. Lightwood, the best head of the New York Institutes he’s ever seen in all his years. Alec, as he likes to call him in his head because he has so much respect for the man and would often imagine they’re close friends, would not mind getting the report tomorrow. He’s not the stuck up, self centred and self righteous man his predecessors were. Alexander Lightwood is a human being and he acts and treats others as such, no matter their ethnicity.

And he’s gay.

Underhill cried the first time he heard the story about Alec’s almost wedding. How the Clave was forced to take a back seat to Alec’s desires and his need to be his own person. He thought it was a cruel joke on the man being whispered throughout the Institute but when he saw the commotion when Mrs. and Mr. Lightwood stalked back to the Institute clearly agitated, with Alec and his warlock standing proud beside him, he broke down for the first time in years.

This man was someone special.

He had found the courage to pursue the man he had a crush on after Alec’s bravery gave him the courage, to ask him out. Unfortunately, he wasn’t afforded the fairy tail ending like Alec and his lover. But the important part was he’s free to be himself and he will always be grateful to Alec Lightwood for paving the way for him and others like him.

As the neon sign came into view for the bar he smiled, pushing his boss and leader out of his mind to focus on himself right now. He had already started to ponder what drinks to order as he entered the bar, ready for a few rounds and a couple games of dart and pool. He found an empty stool and signalled to the bartender, letting her know his choice of alcohol. She mixed it up and handed it to him a few moments later. He nodded his thanks before turning to face the patrons while he sipped his whiskey neat. He wasn’t looking for anything or anybody in particular, but his eyes landed on Alec leaning against a column near the pool tables, watching the games while he sipped what looked like a cocktail.

Well, Underhill kept his eyes on the man but he gave him some space, just in case he wasn’t here alone. Judging by their encounter when Mr. Bane was at the institute he doubts the man would want to come and see him talking to his boyfriend. He wasn’t trying to be mean or disrespectful to Mr. Bane but he could tell the man wasn’t as comfortable with him as he would like him to be. After all, he couldn’t see how one could respect Alec without respecting Magnus Bane. They are both equally deserving of love and respect for their bravery. He can’t imagine how hard it must have been for the High Warlock of Brooklyn to hold on to his status after publicly declaring his love for the downworlder’s public enemy number one, a shadowhunter.

It was clear though, after ten minutes by himself that Alec was alone. Judging by the way he was standing he was probably nursing his umpteenth drink. He decided to go over and see if there was anything he could do to help.

“Mr. Lightwood?”

Alec turned to look at him at the sound of his name, smiling slightly when he recognized him.

“Hey, Underhill. What are you doing here?” Alec asked.

“Just getting a drink, you?”

Alec pointed to his own drink and chuckled. “Same here, same here.”

He wanted to broach the topic of Magnus’ absence but knew Alec could get defensive when it comes to his boyfriend so he would wait to ask about him. The last time he saw Alec drunk it involved a riff between him and his boyfriend and he wondered if there was trouble in paradise again. He really hoped that it wouldn’t become a habit, he wanted these two men to work so bad. He wanted the naysayers to have absolutely nothing to gloat about.

“Want to play a game of pool with me?” he offered instead.  

Alec looked at the mundane players, his mouth turning down at the corners and Underhill offered quickly before he could decline. “Just us.”

He gestured to an empty pool table in the corner and Alec smiled before nodding. “Sure.”

They made their way over and Underhill lined up the balls while Alec sharpened his pool cue, both of them leaving their drinks on a corner of the pool table. He wanted Alec to take the first shot but Alec insisted, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. Underhill took the shot but to his dismay, none of the balls sank into the holes.

Alec chuckled. “That’s why I wanted you to go first. You have to remember that I was taught pool by the awesome Magnus Bane, so I’m pretty hard to beat.”

Underhill grimaced. “Yeah, I can see where this is going to go. I might need my own warlock or somebody to teach me this thing. I obviously suck.”

Alec laughed. “I’d love to tutor you but I’m not going there with Magnus.”

Underhill was lost to the meaning of that statement. “Going where? Did something happen?”

Alec shrugged. “It’s nothing to worry about, Underhill.” Alec’s smile broadened while he took his shot. “My boyfriend’s just been surprising me lately.”

Underhill smiled at the statement. “That’s good, Mr. Lightwood.”

Although, Underhill was cringing inside because Alec managed to sink four balls in one shot. This game was already over.

“Please, call me Alec,” Alec insisted, circling the table as the rest of the balls slowly settled.

Underhill nodded, glad he could call Alec by his first name out loud and not just in his head. “Ok, Alec.”

Underhill watched the balls also, settling on the green ball near one of the holes. He took the shot and watched as it went straight into the hole. He looked up at Alec with a smile on his face, but it quickly fell when he saw how the other man kept smirking.

“You have something up your sleeve,” Underhill said grumpily.

“You know...,” Alec started as he sauntered around the table once more. “...a very magical warlock once told me that if you can’t find the one being suckered in the pool hall, then it's probably you.”

Underhill groaned as Alec sunk another three balls.

“Okay, this is ridiculous,” Underhill growled playfully. He threw his pool cue on the table and downed the rest of his drink in one go before saying, “Let’s play dart instead, I’m good at that.”

Alec raised one eyebrow in smug question. “You want to play dart with the best archer in the Institute? Are you a masochist?”

Underhill scratched at his left brow nervously and looked away, loving the sound of Alec’s laugh. He put his hands on his hips before he looked up at Alec with a smile of his own. “Isn’t there anything you’re not good at?”

“Yeah, actually," Alec answered, perking up. “I, for the life of me, can’t seem to feed the ducks in the pond at the park without them wanting to bite my fingers off. I don’t know what I did to them but they don’t seem to like me.”

Underhill laughed. “Oh my god, you’re kidding, right?”

“No, I’m serious.” Alec expressed. “Every single time, I swear.”

“Well, I’ve been there and they’ve never done that to me. But now you have me curious. I’d really like to see you trying to feed ducks who want to bite you.”

Alec laughed. “You want to see?”

“Yes, please,” Underhill smiled. “That must be some sight. You’re the head of the institute, don’t these ducks know that?

“Na, they don’t. Or they don’t care. Let’s go.”

They made it to the pond and bought cheap breadcrumbs from a guy closeby. They sat on an empty bench near the edge of the pond and started throwing breadcrumbs on the ground. The ducks came and eventually they both held out their hands with a few crumbs on it. Underhill cried out in surprise when the ducks started to bite him, side eyeing Alec who was laughing hard at him. He noticed Alec had the ducks eating from the palm of his hand, not once biting him.

“You know, Alec, I see a story hear. These ducks don’t think you’re good enough for their Magnus, but now they think I’m probably trying to get between you and him so they’re trying to scare me off. They’ve never tried to bite me before, I swear.”

Alec snickered. “You know, I think that might be a very plausible explanation. I mean, why are you suddenly the one they can’t tolerate?”

“Your boyfriend probably saved their babies or something and the mother ducks thinks he’s one of their own now.”

Alec turned on the bench to face Underhill, the giddy smile never leaving his face. “You’re so right. Magnus is so awesome he would save their babies, or them. He just such an awesome person like that, you know? I don’t understand how anyone can not love a soul like him. He’s everything to me and I just want to be everything for him too, you know?”

“Alec, you are...” Underhill started but Alec rambled on.

“And I know I am, I know that but he also knows how I get when he’s gone for too long and he told me a week at most but now it’s almost two and he keeps sending me messages that he’s ok and this is urgent and he’ll soon be back but I need to _feel_ him and it just makes me feel so...”

“...Sad?” Underhill offered softly.

“And lonely.” Alec finished, suddenly looking so morose.  

Underhill felt powerless seeing their fearless leader like this, and he wish he could have hugged him but he’s afraid to cross certain boundaries unless told otherwise. He just wants to cheer Alec up.

Alec hunches over with his elbows on his knees and his head down with his hands in his hair, like it physically pains him to be away from Magnus.

Underhill starts to outstretch an arm, just to pat the other man on the shoulder in solitude but before he can touch Alec, a third voice joins them and he pulls his hand back to himself.

“Alec?” It’s Jace, Alec’s parabatai.

Underhill stands in the presence of another hero, even if he’s the most reckless one.

“Hey, big brother...” Jace continued.

Underhill took a step back, allowing Jace to embrace his brother in a tight hug.

“I know you miss him but he said to tell you he’ll be back by tomorrow morning. He’s trying to get you but you left your phone in your room and the security is so tight where he is he can’t send a fire message.”

Underhill watched Jace be everything his parabatai needs in the absence of his lover.

Alec wiped at his eyes and straightened his back. “Yeah, thanks Jace.”

Jace smiled. “Yeah, yeah. You get so emo if Magnus so much as go to the grocery store without you, Alec. You’re hopeless.”

Alec glared at his brother as he started walking away, looking smug.

“Yeah? Well you’re worse when Clary so much as steps foot out the door without you, Jace. Don’t talk to me about being emo, you blockhead.” Alec stands and walks after his brother, totally engrossed in the other’s presence.

“Wow, Clary was right, your comebacks are lame,” Jace teased.

“What?!” Alec squawked. “You’re both going to get it!”

Underhill watched them as Jace took off at a run, Alec hot on his heels. He smiled to himself, knowing that he was able to distract Alec if even a little bit tonight.

It made him feel good. Very good. That’s friendship goals right there and he aims to live up to it, in any way he can.


End file.
